let's make a deal

I have never ever seen anything like the bullying that went on in the oval office yesterday.  It's as if Trump is still a reality show host only he's playing against all of us.  "You're fired!"  Which is exactly what he told President Zelenskyy.  What was supposed to be a meeting concerning a mineral deal turned into a shouting match that, like a train wreck, you can't look away from.  I watched in horror while the leaders of our country treated an ally like a bad school boy.  He knew what he was walking into yet he kept his cool,  and when he managed to get a word in edgewise, spoke thoughtfully and respectfully.  He sat in a defensive posture position with arms crossed and, took the beating.  So much for the mineral deal, huh?  Plan WWIII will be for Putin to break the ceasefire and seize the bounty for himself.  If Trump thinks for a minute that he will share because they have "been through so much together"  he is stupider than I thought.  Putin will throw him under the bus in a heartbeat.  They are two of a kind.

The most pathetic thing, to me, is that all these Republicans are sitting back and letting he and Elon run the show.  Because they're scared.  Well, so are we y'all.  So are we.  I come from a middle class family that was usually GOP voters.  And I never really paid attention to politics until I watched Nixon's resignation at my high school.  Watergate and Vietnam.  Those changed my views.  I was only in elementary school when JFK was murdered but I knew it was a bad thing.  The rest is history.  One of my high school teachers was an expert on that killing in Texas.  He had a room full of evidence that Oswald was framed by his own government.  Zapruder film.  Google it.

I have rant days and I have days where I feel the grace of God.  Most of my spiritual beliefs are based on helping others who are less fortunate.  My home church is a haven for those who might not feel welcome because of their life choices.  That is exactly what Jesus would do.  Without the support of friends and family during this whole wreck ordeal, we would have been screwed.  And I will pay that forward.  And we still have no car!  It's a process, you know?  You have to (get your brother to) kick tires and do test drives.  He gives Lauren rides to work and brings me whatever I ask for.  We are currently researching Lyft and Uber in the area.  When LP was in Jackson they were everywhere.  

I pray that you are all blessed with enough.  That's all I have ever really asked for and the good Lord has provided.  Faithful here ^j^

farming

I grew up on a family farm that once had peonies and asparagus and other goodies that are very lovely.  Agriculture is tricky business at the very least because it is all dependent on the weather.  Too much rain is bad, especially all at once.  The rivers rise and the land is underwater until May or June.  Then you gotta' plant what's plantable and pay extra for potash because Canada supplies most of it and there's that tariff thing going on.  Canada hates us and so does Europe.  At this point in time, I don't think that our country is ready for a trade war.  Remember the Great Depression?  I have my great grandmother's ration book that was for gas, sugar and other things we depend on.  It was a total bust of the US economy and my Daddy grew up as a sharecropper's son during that time.  Thanks to Sam Reed he was able to attend UT Martin and graduate with a degree in agriculture.  His career with the USDA as a plant protection specialiust spanned decades chasing the Japanese beetle and other bugs that destroyed crops.  At the end, at the age of 55, he was able to retire due to his years of service in the Air Force.  Daddy lived every farmer's dream as both a federal ag employee and property manager.  

He was not particularly bright when it came to negotiating commission.  Five percent, If I remember correctly.  Yet we survived because of benefits for veterans and federal employees.  That stuff is gone baby gone.  Thanks Obama.  No wait, wrong one.  We all know things trickle down from DC to our individual states and our security.  The great state of Tennessee has repeatedly refused to accept money for Medicaid funding because...Hell I don't know.  That is the current administrations plan.  Pitch it all back to your states and let them deal with you.  As a red state resident, I'm not feeling really good about that.  Just a thought.

We are midway through a 48 hr monsoon.  Not sure how many inches but I think it will take us a while to dry out.  Plus there is snow coming on Tuesday night!  Yay?  It is what it is.  One day at a time ^j^

windy

I can't remember the last time the wind wasn't howling down here around the cabin.  It's a daily fight to keep the car on the road just going to town!  It never ceases to amaze me how many dead armadillos line the sides of the road.  When I was a child I thought they all lived in Texas but I guess they've migrated over the years.  

My life is pretty boring these days and there is some comfort in that.  I see right now as sort of a passage to the next chapter, whatever that is.  I spent a lot of years with little or no time to myself so it's nice to just be for days at a time.  Poopie continues to give me problems but that's become the new normal.  

Mostly I hang out with Oscar and Rosie and pass the time.  I pulled a huge scab off of Rosie's neck yesterday, the remnants of that gosh awful wound she had.  We are perfect for each other, the three of us.  I'd probably be lonely without them for sure.  I never had inside pets when I was a kid.  We had dogs and cats outside, chickens back in the day, cattle and even a crow named Petey.  

Like my mother, I love to sleep.  I remember Daddy getting mad because she would still be in the bed when Ms Faye came, demanding her muffin with butter from command central.  They fought over the TV, even though there were two of them.  Daddy became a TV addict once he became homebound.  Part of Bubba's job was maintaining television service when the power went out which involved a generator.  He was THAT serious.  

I keep telling myself "you're only as young as you feel."  Ahem.  I just count my blessings when I see another sunrise.  Or thunderstorm.  Or being alive.  One day at a time ^j^

god bless texas

And Florida.  And all the rest of us, for that matter.  By the numbers, there has been a huge surge of mass shootings, about one a day.  I just watched the governor of Texas deliver a speech and didn't have a clue he was the one who rolled in with a wheelchair.  Police spoke first.  The governor spoke from his heart making sure to cherish that 2nd amendment.  

Regardless of what you may think of us liberals we are pretty much happy with the right to bear arms.  You never know when some crazy guy will get in the car with you are the chicken store.  I am against automatic weapons for personal use.  Period.  Law enforcement and military only.  Just because you WANT one to play Big Ike with one, doesn't mean you get to do it.  Try not paying your taxes and see what happens.

I feel this on a personal level because one of the victims was a 17 month old little girl.  A bit younger than Reaves going along her merry way until a bullet hit her.  Seven people lost their lives including the officer who did the initial pull over.  Beto is fired up enough to be using the F word and get bleeped so I'm right behind him.  

We live in a country where we are so divided and so disrespected that sometimes I lose hope.  But just for a few minutes.  I always remember that one good deed at a time can change the world.  It's called paying it forward and doing something good just for the sake of it.  

Do the next right thing ~